It can be quite a frustrating and disconcerting experience to find ants in the house, especially in the kitchen. Sometimes it feels as if every hole is plugged, and ants still find a way in. While it is frustrating, there is some good news. There are a few simple steps you can take to minimize the chance of ants entering your house. Likewise, there are also some simple steps to help get rid of ants if they have already made it into your home.
Disclaimer: The steps provided here are for the little black ants that have just made it into your house. If you feel you already have a severe infestation or are unsure if you have carpenter ants, then it is best to call a professional exterminator.
Minimizing the chance of entry
First, make sure you keep your house clean. Food left out, open bags of chips, unswept floors, and dirty dishes are all the miniature feasts that these ants are looking for. This is especially true in the kitchen as there are typically many little nooks and crannies where ants can find their way in. Oftentimes by simply keeping your house clean, you can avoid many ant infestations. Ants are looking for food, so making sure they can not find it is the best deterrent.
Secondly, make sure entryways are sealing properly when closed. This means the door’s weather strippings should actually seal, and windows should be able to close. Changing the weather stripping is a job one can do by themselves, and it generally only costs a few bucks to buy at a local hardware store. As an added benefit, by simply making your doors and windows close fully, you can save money on your heating and cooling bill – a win-win.
Thirdly, remove any loose wood, or carpets near doors. Also, try to remove any plants such as ivy, bushes, and shrubs that are right next to the house. These are safe spaces for the ants to nest. The safer they feel, the longer they will stay.
Finally, you can lay down some ant bait. You can find this at most superstores. Baits can be inside or outside, and I would recommend both. For the outside, you can get a simple ant block. I have used Amdro Ant Block. To apply, you simply spread the bait along the exterior of the house where you have seen ants previously and near entryways. The benefit here is they will pick up the bait and take it back to their nests. This will kill the whole nest. And they never had to enter the home. For inside the home, I would recommend getting some liquid bait inside a bait box and place it near entryways like windows. Being inside a box is important if you have pets or young kids as you do not want them to ingest any of the bait. It is also a good idea to place them out of reach if possible. I have one of these boxes on a window seal in my kitchen, and it has worked wonders.
Fighting ants after entry
Even if you plug every hole, clean every speck, seal every entryway, and bait, there is still a chance that a few ants find a way in – it is in their nature to seek and find food wherever it may be. But do not fret, there are still things you can do to stop even the most tenacious ants.
The first thing you can do is use aerosol insect killer spray like Raid. This works fast, and if you happen to kill the “scouts” you may have taken care of the ant problem outright. This is a great option for clumps of ants – especially if you find their nest – or for covering their pathways.
If a chemical aerosol spray is not your thing, then you can try dunking some cotton balls into a solution of a half cup of sugar, one and a half tablespoons of borax, and one and a half cups of warm water. After creating the soaked cotton balls, place the cotton balls where you believe the ants are coming in. These will act in a similar manner to the bait boxes where the ants will take it back the solution to their nest and which will, in turn, kill the colony. And just like the bait boxes, you will want to keep these cotton balls away from kids and pets. I have used this method and it has worked really well, but it does take a couple days to see the full effect.
If neither solution seems to be working, getting a bug bomb (or fogger) might be the right solution. Bug bombs work by spraying a gas that is toxic to the bugs. Being a gas, it can reach parts of the house that you may not even be aware of. These bug bombs also have the benefit of killing other insects like spiders and roaches. However, these bombs can be inconvenient, as you will have to be out of the house while the bomb does its work, and airing out the house afterward can sometimes be a chore. If you do decide to use a bug bomb, make sure you read the instructions before use as there are some safety precautions that you will need to take.
If all else fails, calling a professional exterminator may be the right solution for you. Oftentimes, you can get on a quarterly plan where they will come and spray the house. This will keep your houses defenses up and hopefully encourage the ants to find another house to prey on. Remember, it is much easier to protect against an infestation than to try to take care of an existing one. Your best defense is to keep your home clean and make it as uninviting for ants as possible.
Quote of the day: Work hard for what you want because it won’t come to you without a fight. You have to be strong and courageous and know that you can do anything you put your mind to. If somebody puts you down or criticizes you, just keep on believing in yourself and turn it into something positive. – Leah LaBelle
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